The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-26

| lie ACQUISITION Of great and magnificent
territory and untold wealth and Jntold poWel
and prominence among the nations, OF TN
tide OF power needed no savior and no saliva
| +ion. But the Democratic party saw othel
days when 1t went into retirement before tht
people, when for twenty odd years the he
power, when the Democrats were in power
scarcely in any portion of the country or II
any State OF the land, when Democrats
were out of Office, when Democrats were
disfranehised, when Democrats were dis
public opinion. when. they were driven frolE
the public service and place and power Die
the Democratic party die then? No, fellow
citizens! It lived; ii remained true and bat
| regain the ground it had lost, with the same
| platform of principles rhas it had battled fol
in the days of Jefferson and Jackson; lap
plausel And only two years 9 Ie Y e L.
pde head of the national government tina
great man, Grover Cleveland lcheers ano
cries of 'tHurrah for Cleyeland"l. h has
exempliied in his administration of the gov.
eminent the best days of the republic. The
Democratic party has come into National
power, and has come to stay lvoclterous ap,
plause]; but, if it had needed any one man
to save yeti the I psnoerati C. pgFty No it Tpba a d hdfi ed
with Jackson, or it would have died with
Buchanan.
Now, fellow-citizens. il. the Democratic
party does kosaa not IT, need ins4 = AS san1l e266 rc, whg s sho1ld
istration of the Slater I admit the right to
criticize a Democratic administration. ad-
NIT that
THE s Governor OF THE STATE,
like every ether mai who applies for . pub,
lie Office, should &c before the people and
give an account of his stewardship. I admit
their right to criticize each and every act OF
his Administration. I admit their right to
call him before them and place him on trial,
and turn the fierce lights upon him and upon
every act of bis political life. And has not
this been done, fellow-citizens ! Has not
this been done, and | ask az a Democrat, no
as o supporter of Gov. McEinery, but as o
Democrat, where the flaw has been found in
his armor where the defect has been found
in his Democracy, where the corruption has
been found in his administration, and where
the default has been found III his govern
nent? 1 ask what ~retrograde step Lou1slana
has taken under his Administrations Why,
felow-eitizens in other places, while was
serving in Congress, and when | have taken
part In the political contests IN other States,
| ha:ve heard charges made BY people qrac-
quainted with oEr people that the State
governments which we have and have had
since the redemption of our State have been
but little better, andperhapsWorse, than those
which we labored Under during the admins
trations of WarInoth and Kellogg. L have
denied the assertion. I have asserted be-
fore the peopleo of other States that Louisiana
under Democratic administration has
been going steadily forward on the
that prosperity Mas slowly. coming to
her people; impoverished, broken down by
war as we were, with our fairest places
destroyed, fields made desolate, our labor
not expect, nor did they, that the road to
wealth and prosperity would be a short one:
but I said that in every material respect our
condition was steadily improving L have
said that our taxation has been reduced, that
our taxable property had been increased, that
on crops were better, that OH people were
better satisfied. that the control of legisla-
ton wasi in their W hands, that the bless
1ngs OF education were being extended in q
greater degree to the people Of both races. 1
have said that in the development Of our ag-
ricuitural resources, in public Improvement
ana in the building Of levees to save the fer
inundation, that our State was making steady
progress, and that We would soon be num-
bered again among the most prosperous
States OF the South, and eventually among
the most prosperousi in the whole sisterhood
of States. / assert and maintain thatI have
said the truth. / have heard charges made
against this Democratic administration. L
have investigated, or at least tried to hear
cause I am under no other obligations to the
present administration than any other eiti-
zen. owe no more to
TIE ADMINISTRATION OF GOV. M,ENERY
than any other citizen who stands here be-
fore me. am interested III his administra-
ton as o citizen OF Louisiana; I ana inter-
ested in his administration as O Democrat
who voted for him and helped put him in
the position which he now ENJOYS. | am III
terested in the honorable and pure admins
tration of that high Office to which he has
been elected by the people of Louisiana. /
have looked into the indictments which have
been brought against him, ana / have seen
no proof to sustain ont charge against him
which could justify any portion of the DEM
ocratic party in conducting q campaign of
personal asEsssult against his administration,
or for theS3urpose. of putting upon il the
stamp of condemnation. fApplause.] Then,
felloW-citizeng, ikthis.b be tFue: IL the occa-
sion calls for no personal canvass: il the
oecaslon is not such a IS to threaten the
r&Ace, the prosperity and happiness OF the
people of Louisiana; il the occasion ie not
such a one SIS tothreaten the integrity Of the
Democratic party of Louisiana, [ say that
the campaign of Gen. Nichols is be-
ing conducted upon wrong princi-
pies. While I assail in no manner the
Democracy of Gen. Nichols, or the DeInoc-
OF his supporters, / say the meetings
which they hold are. not, iaJny opinion. held
fApplause.l And the canvas that is being
Waged is not such as ought to be waged in
the Democratic family. GAppiause.l Why,
fellow-citizenB,, we have got to support the
Gen. Nichols If he is n~omipated; we have
got TO support Gov. McEnery il be is nomi-
mated. We have. got to support any other
good Democrat who il nominated. Island
here ready to support the nominee with
| do. Then why should we make attacks
upon the man who may be candidate, or
why should we make attacks upon each other
s%aaaf;v We ya are 3~nrgin9 N5s claims s. our % re- re-.
ganize i've NICHOLS and McEnery par
as Why should we belong to Nichols
or MeEnery clubs? Whv should the
personal lines. sndi such division Calculated
to produce harmony In the Democratic
am making this speech, / am told,
70 q ring meeting and Q McEnery meeting.
Well don't know Whas, clearly. 9 ring is,
meeting in the parish Of Calcasieu, I am adj
dressing a ring meeting, and all these Demo-
Gratis whom ! see around me, / uppos are
slaves OF the ring; but at least 1t is a Demo-
cratic meeting where 1 am invited to speak,
and every word which / say here I would say
it every one listening to me was d Nichols
Inan, as many. OF them are, because I can't
believe that Ia q Democratic parish either
AicErSery men will stay away from fear to
the Nichols speakers, or that Nichols
will stay array and refuse to listen to
those who speak at other Democratic meet
] cannot believe that such times have
when one-half of the people keep away from
meetings held by the other half, and refuse
even TO discuss the claims of candidates
of the same party within the party, or refuse
to listen to arguments which are made in the
defense OF the candidates who are assailad,
and refuse to come az Democrats and neigh
bors to discuss before O onam jury and a
ofnTno family the issues as to who shall be
the candidate whom all Democrats are bound
to support.
My fetioW-citizens,
m soaE R OF THE STATE
where / have been. where formerly [ ad-
Democratic meetings, where ever
stood shoulder to shoulder like soldiers
fighting common enemy, I have seen them
divided into Two hostile camps, I have heard
men say that they would not vote for McEu-
If nominated and / have heard others saw
they would moi vote for Nichols If NOM
mated. ! have seen men who had always, as
4 says stood shoulder to shoulder, railing
against each other with more seeming bitter
ness than was ever devoted TO the enemy IN
with the@old RADICAL party when ii
in power. Why, feIpyS 91Ytizens, sis this 7
Is it because we are ia complete possgssion Of
power IN 2 Slater Is it because we no